USA vs. Costa Rica: Post-Match Recap, Analysis and Grades

Desperately needing at least a point to stay afloat in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, the United States knocked off Costa Rica, 1-0, on Friday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Denver.

With everyone else in the group ending in a draw on the night, the Americans moved into second place with three points. Honduras sits at the top with four, while Mexico, Panama and Jamaica trail the U.S. with two. Costa Rica sits in last place with just one.

Will the Americans qualify for the World Cup?

Yes, they will finish in the top three.Yes, they will finish fourth and win the playoff.No, they won't make it.Submit Votevote to see results

Will the Americans qualify for the World Cup?

Yes, they will finish in the top three.

73.3%

Yes, they will finish fourth and win the playoff.

14.9%

No, they won't make it.

11.8%

Total votes: 5,025

We may have just officially entered spring, but you wouldn't have been able to tell from all of the snow flooding the pitch. Massive snowflakes dumped down for all 90 minutes of the match, and the yellow ball slipped in and out of sight to make for a truly treacherous battle.

Newly minted United States captain Clint Dempsey got the scoring started in the 16th minute, pulling off a lovely turn to lose his defender and find Jozy Altidore, who delivered a low shot on target. The ball deflected off a defender and right back to Dempsey, who almost effortlessly tapped it in for the goal.

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

As the snowfall got increasingly heavy, the amount of scoring chances dwindled. It appeared the Americans had earned a penalty kick late in the first half when Dempsey was clearly tripped inside the box, but the referee would not point to the spot.

The powder piled on even thicker in the second half, and there was a slight stoppage of play in the 56th minute for the referees to discuss a possible delay. At that point, things looked something like this (via Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke):